A Once Good Life
by Slapstick70
Summary: We follow the story of Hal, an omega son to a family of alphas. Watch as things go wrong while his parents and brother, Hutch, try to take care of him. Before, during, and after the movie. Hutch and Lilly are just featured, not the pair.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys slapstick here. I know I should have updated the other one, but to be honest. I've kind of lost interest with that one. I know, already right. I guess I just didn't enjoy that one all that well. Any way, here's a new story. One that I will try my best not to take so long to update. So this story will focus on Hal, the little brother to Hutch. There will be drama, action, and suspense. It follows the story before, during, and after the movie. The after part I'm nervous about, but I'm rambling. I hope you guys enjoy.

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day in Jasper. The birds were chirping, the sun was out, and the snow was starting to melt. It was nearing the end of winter as all the wolves were preparing for the arrival of new pups. For the older pups, they were outside enjoying the remaining snow before it all melted away. There was one wolf pup that was enjoying the snow more than anyone, and his name is…

"Hutch!" called his dad, named Ray who has black and grey fur. "Don't wonder too far."

"Ok, dad," replied Hutch as he ran closer to his father.

Hutch's mother, Nora, was pregnant and was back at the den. Here fur was a mix of red and white. Hutch was starting to get antsy staying in the den so long. Pretty soon it started to bother his mother. Ray saw this and decided to take Hutch to the river to give his mate some peace. However, he appointed one of the omegas to look after Nora while he was gone, and to call him when something was wrong. Since Ray was part of Winston's council, the omega couldn't refuse.

While outside, Hutch was practicing some of the moves that his parents have taught him. He'll be attending alpha school next winter so he wanted it to be perfect.

"Was that right, dad," said Hutch after doing a front flip.

"Perfect," said Ray with a smile. "Keep practicing and you'll be the number one alpha." Hutch smiled back when something caught his attention. A gopher popped out of the snow. Hutch arched his back and jumped at it. The gopher dropped back down and popped back up in a different spot. Hutch kept trying to catch the gopher but it was too fast for him. While Hutch was playing, the omega Ray had appointed came running up, completely out of breath.

"Sir…" he said panting.

"What is it?" said Ray with a worried look.

"It's Nora…she went…into…labor!" said the omega between each pant.

"That's impossible! She's not due for some time!"

"Well she's going into labor now, so what do you want to do?"

"Go get Eve!"

"I can't, she's pregnant with her second pup."

"Damn, that's right…just go find someone I'll attend to my mate!"

"Yes, sir!" Just like that the omega left to find someone who can help. Ray was about to leave when something got his attention.

"Dad," said Hutch, "What's going on?"

"Your mother went into labor," said Ray.

"Wait for me I want to help." Hutch ran to catch up when his dad stopped him.

"No, Hutch. You stay here until I send for you. Do not leave this spot. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." With that, Ray took off to their den lightly blushing under his fur; knowing that Hutch almost ran into something traumatizing.

He ran through the forest dodging tree, bushes, and above ground roots. Soon the sounds of his mate were echoing throughout the hill. It didn't take him long to reach their den. He walked in and was greeted by a loud cry of pain. He walked in to see his mate lying on her side, cringing in pain. She looked up to see Ray approach. She gave him a weak smile when suddenly another contraction hit. Ray walked over and gave Nora a small lick on the cheek.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Do you remember when I had Hutch?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Then you should know." Ray chucked slightly knowing that was a stupid question. "Is Eve coming?"

"She's pregnant too, remember? Don't worry though, someone is coming."

"Well that's AHHH!" another contraction hit. She started digging her claws into the dirt as the pup was on its way.

Seconds after the contraction the omega returned with one of Eve's assistants. A wolf named Jude. She had the white and golden fur like Eve but a year younger. She approached Nora and moved Ray out the way.

"How long have you been in labor?" she asked.

"Not too long," replied Nora.

"Ok, don't worry; I think I know what I'm doing."

"What?" yelled both Nora and Ray.

"I'm kidding. Ok, Nora, let's where you're at." She proceeded to check to see how far along she is. "Looks like you're ready. We're going to need water."

"You heard her," said Ray as he looked at the omega. "Go get her some water."

"Yes, sir." The omega quickly left the den. As soon as he did the contractions began to occur more frequently.

"All right, this pup is ready. Push, Nora."

"AHHH!" Ray placed his paw on his mates to give her support. After each push she would look at Ray and give a weak smile.

"The pup's almost out. Keep going, you're doing great." Soon the omega that left came back with water in a piece of bark in the shape of a bowl. He placed the water next to Nera.

"How's she doing?" He asked Ray.

"Why do all guys ask that?" yelled Nora.

"Don't worry about them, worry about the pup." said Jude. Ray looked over at the omega.

"Hey can you go pick up Hutch? He's down by the river." He said.

"Yes, sir."

"You're almost there," said Jude. "Just one more push."

"AHHHH!" With the last bit of her strength, she had done it. The pup was out and was starting to cry as it took its first breath.

"Congratulation, it's a boy!" said Jude. Ray and Nora looked at each other with huge smiles. Jude placed the pup next to his mother as she began to nurse and clean him. His fur had the best of both his parents. A mix of black and red covered his body. Ray just looked at the little one and was overcome with pride. The same feeling he had when Hutch was born.

"So what should we name him?" he asked.

"How about…Hal," said Nora.

"Hal…I like that." He then bent down and nuzzled Hal. "Hey there, Hal. I'm your dad." With his eyes still closed, Hal moved slightly closer and got a little whiff of his father. Ray pulled back and looked at his mate again. Now she had tears rolling down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," she replied.

"Scared of what?"

"You know what. Hal's a premature pup. Ray, he could die any time."

"Don't talk like that."

"But it's true. You know almost all premature pups die in a few days of being born. What if Hal-"

"Stop. Hal will not die. You have to have faith. Believe that Hal will survive and he will." Jude sat there, watching the two until she finally spoke.

"To be fair," she said. "Another reason some premature pups survive are the parents. Not only does he have your blood running through him, but he has your love to look after him."

"You see," said Ray. "He'll be ok." Nora looked at the Ray and Jude; she wiped away the tears, and gave them a little smile.

"Thanks you guys," replied Nora. "That really helps, but there is one thing."

"What's that?"

"I want him to be an omega." Ray looked at her shocked.

"Why? You and I are alphas and Hutch will be an alpha soon as well."

"That's the thing; I don't want both our pups to be alphas. I want one to have a fun, care free life. Plus, with Hal being premature, he wouldn't make for a good alpha. There's going to be some kind of problem with him."

Ray looked down at Hal then back at his mate.

"Are you sure you want him to be an omega?" he asked.

"Yes. I know in my heart it's the best thing for him."

"Then I support you." He moved closer and began to nuzzle Nora.

Soon the omega came into the mouth of the den with Hutch right beside him. Hutch looked in to see his mother and father looking down at his mother's stomach.

"Mom, Dad," he called. They both looked over at Hutch.

"Come on in, Hutch, and meet your little brother." said Nora pulling away from Ray.

Hutch slowly walked over to his parents. He soon passed Jude who was walking out of the den.

"Come, let's leave them to their newborn," she said to the omega. They then both walked out of the den heading back to the rest of the pack.

Hutch had finally reached his parents and got a good look at Hal.

"He's so small," he said.

"Well he was born earlier than expected," replied Ray. "Now, Hutch. The next few days are very important. Since he's premature, he is going to need special attention. That's means you'll have to go above and beyond being a big brother. Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir. I'll be the best big brother ever." Ray placed paw on Hutch's head. They then heard a small yawn. They looked down and saw that Hal was the cause of the yawn. Soon Nora was starting to yawn.

"Looks like some wolves are sleepy," teased Ray. "Hutch, you don't have to stay here any longer. Why don't you go see if Can-do can play. I'm going to stay here with your mother and brother."

"Ok," Hutch ran to the mouth of the den. Before he left, he turned to his parents. "I'll see you guys later."

"Have fun sweet heart," said Nora in a drowsy tone. Soon Hutch was out of sight. Ray walked around her so back was facing him. He proceeded to lie down and place his head on Nora's neck. "Good night, I love you."

"I love you too." replied Ray. He then got in one last look at Hal. _"Hal, I promise you. I will always protect you. I will become a father that you can come to for anything; no matter how much trouble you're in. I want you to know that daddy loves you, son. He always will."_ Ray soon let the sand man's grasp take hold as he slowly, but surly, drifted off to sleep next to his mate and second born son.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well there's the first chapter. What do you guys think? Let me know I really want to hear. Also this will probably be one of the few chapters you'll get where the focus isn't Hal. Anyway, this is just the set up. Come back soon for the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys slapstick here. Well another week, another chapter. Like I said, I'm going to try to not take as long with this one like I did with the other one. However, I can't make any promises. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Two weeks have since Hal's birth. He had finally opened his eyes, but couldn't walk yet. Nora never left the den as she was still afraid that Hal will die some day. People have come to visit her, but she wouldn't let anyone outside her family touch him. So you could say that Nora became an overprotective mother, with good reason. Hutch on the other hand was started to get annoyed with Hal. His parents haven't spending much time with him. They've been focusing most of their time with Hal.

The whole family was in the den. Nora and Hal were in the back, Ray was near the entrance, and Hutch was sitting in the middle of them. Ray was looking at Hal, encouraging him to walk.

"Come on, Hal," he said. "Come to daddy." Hal tilted his head as he looked at his father. "You can do it, Hal." He still didn't move.

"I guess he's still too young," said Nora.

"You're probably right."

"Dad, when are we going?" asked Hutch.

"Soon, Hutch," replied Ray looking at him.

"Ray look!" said an excited Nora. Ray turned his head to see Hal wobbling to him. Ray stuck out his paws to greet Hal when he got to him. Hutch looked at his father and saw the look on his face. A look of pride, happiness, and excitement was all over. He then turned to Hal. See his dad give Hal that kind of look made his boil.

"_Dad never gives __**me**__ that look,"_ he thought. Hutch then looks down to see a pretty sizable rock in front of his right paw. He then gets an idea as a smirk appears on his face. He looks a way nonchalantly as he kicks the rock in Hal's path. Not seeing it, Hal steps on the rock and falls to the ground. At first he just seems surprised, but his eyes soon began to water as he was on the verge of crying. Nora got up and ran to Hal.

"Shhhh, don't cry," she said in a soft comforting tone. "It's ok. Mommy's here, mommy's got you."

Hutch was chuckling to himself as Hal was about to cry. Ray saw this and looked at Hutch intensely. Hutch quickly stopped laugh and looked down.

"Outside…Now!" said Ray in a deep voice.

"Y-yes, sir," said Hutch as he walked past his father. He had his tail between his legs the whole time. When he did get past Ray he quickly ran out. Ray let out a sigh and was about to head to outside when…

"Ray wait," said Nora lying next to a still weepy eyed Hal.

"What is it?"

"Don't be so hard on him."

"But he…"

"I know what he did was wrong, but I think he's jealous of Hal. So try not to be too hard him."

"Ok." He made his way out of the den as Hutch sat at the mouth with his head down. Ray, taking in a deep sigh, walked over to Hutch and sat next to him. Without looking at him Ray said, "you know what you did was wrong."

"I know," said Hutch not looking up.

"Let me ask you something. Are you jealous of Hal?"

"No…maybe…"

"Why?"

"Well, you and mom spend so much time with him. I feel as if you like him more or something."

Ray let out a small gasp as he looked down at his son.

"Hutch…"

"I know he's a pup and all, but you two seem to give him more attention than needed."

Ray let out a deep sigh.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you this," he said.

"Tell me what?" Hutch looked up at his father completely confused, wondering what this secret was his father was keeping from him.

"You know how he was born early, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's the reason we've been giving him so much attention."

Hutch was even more confused. Because Hal was born early they need to spend more time with him? That didn't make since to Hutch. He needed to find out what his father means. "I don't understand," he said.

"Well…you see…pups born early are weaker than most others. Because of this…Hal had a greater chance of…dying…and he still does."

Hutch expression shifted in a millisecond, changing from confused to absolutely horrified. He may have been jealous of Hal but he didn't want him to die. He felt terrible.

"_Hal…could die,"_ he thought. He looked up at his father. "I'm sorry, dad. I didn't know."

"I know. It's ok. Just know that even though Hal is getting a lot of attention, that doesn't mean we like him more. We love you both equally, so there's no need to be jealous. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Good…now I think it would be good for you to apologize to your brother. I know he won't remember it, but I think your mom will like it."

"Yes, sir."

With a smile, Ray led Hutch back into the den. He looked to see that Hal had stopped crying and was looking up at his mother with smile.

"Nora," he called. "Hutch has something to…" He halted his words as he saw Hal walking over to him with a smile. Ray sat on his hind legs and extended his paw, once again encouraging Hal to move forward. "Come on, Hal. You can do it." Hal moved closer and closer to his father, closing the gap between them. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Hal saw Hutch moving to the left of his dad. He shifted his position and was now heading towards his brother. Ray smiled as he watched Hal moving closer to Hutch. However, Hutch was a little uneasy.

"No, Hal, go to dad," he said but Hal didn't listen. When he got closer, Hal tripped and was about to fall but Hutch caught him. Hal looked up at Hutch with a smile as he moved closer to give him a hug.

Nora couldn't hold it anymore and let out an "Aww." Hutch blushed slightly under his fur.

"Um…good work, Hal," he said. "But you need to move one leg at a time, slowly. Watch me." Hutch began to walk slowly towards Nora, lifting one leg at a time to give Hal an example. "Ok, now you try."

Hal took one step after another, trying to copy what Hutch did. Even though he's young, he was able to copy Hutch pretty well. He soon made it to his mom.

"Ok, little one," she said. "That's enough. We don't want to ware you out do we?"

Hal nuzzled his mother as he lied down in front of her. Ray couldn't help but smile at his growing family, when something interrupted that.

"I see he's starting to walk," said an unknown wolf. Ray quickly turned around, surprised to see who it was.

"Winston, sir," he said. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." He soon made his way to Nora. "Hello, Nora."

"Winston," she replied. "What brings you here?"

"I just came to see your new pup. Also to see how you were doing."

"Well I'm doing fine you don't need to worry about me."

"So what's the little guy's name?"

"Hal."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Hal." Winston dropped lower to be at Hal's level. When he got closer Hal turned away and buried his head against his mother.

"Sorry, he's a little shy." Nora moved back a bit. "Hal, it's ok. This is Winston, our pack leader." Hal looked back at Winston real quick, but moved closer to Nora. "Sorry."

"It's ok." Winston then looked over to Hutch. "Hey there, Hutch. Are you excited for alpha school?"

"Definitely," said Hutch. "Dad and I have been training for months."

"That's good to hear. I'm sure you'll make a fine alpha; along with your brother."

"Actually, Winston," said Ray. "We decided to make Hal an omega."

"Really…well I'm sure he'll make a great omega."

"Hey, Winston," said Nora. "How's Eve? When is she do?"

"Any day now. Actually, she told me to find a squirrel and cover that squirrel in caribou blood." Ray, Nora, and Hutch all looked at Winston wide eyed. "What can I say? She get's cravings."

"I know the feeling," said Nora.

"Well I better go get that squirrel. Nora, Ray, Hutch, I will see you all later." With that, Winston exited the den. Everyone sat quietly, still slightly surprised by Eve's demand. They all knew Eve, but she still manages to surprise them.

Pretty soon the silence was broken when Hal let out a yawn.

"Aww is someone sleepy," said Nora lying down next to Hal. She gave him a small lick on the nose and began to hum a peaceful tone. Hal was slowly starting to drift off. He looked around at his family and let out a small smile. Soon, he was sleeping soundly. Nora lied her head down with Hal and was fall asleep right along with him.

"Come on, Hutch," said Ray. "Let give your mom and brother some rest. You can show that move you've been working on."

"Ok, dad," said Hutch as he bolted out the den.

Before Ray left, he got one last look at his mate and son. He gave a heart warming smile as he left the den to catch up with Hutch.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well there's chapter two. I know it's a bit sappy but trust me, things will pick up soon. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it, if not let me know so I can learn. See you all next chapter.


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